Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 150: Disunity
"A great victory in Helong, Liangzhou, Huizhou and Lanzhou were recovered!"

Inside the palace, when Wang Jingzhi announced the news of the recovery of the three states, Zhang Yitan and Gao Pian both showed expressions of surprise on their faces.

"Three states have been recovered? How...how could this happen so quickly?!"

Zhang Yitan was ecstatic after being surprised, but then he became curious about why the three states were recovered so quickly.

Gao Pian was very surprised, but when he thought about how the Tubo people in Huizhou had been very honest recently, he couldn't help but agree with it a little.

Gao Pian was not surprised that the Tubo in Lanzhou was in decline and was recovered, but he was surprised that the Tubo in Liangzhou and Huizhou were at their peak and were also destroyed by the Guiyi Army.

"Chang Shi, you don't know how wonderful Hexi is after we left..."

Wang Jingzhi was pulled by Zhang Yitan into the main hall and sat down, telling the story of what happened after they followed Zhang Yitan to report the victory in Chang'an.

He started by talking about how Liu Jilong had three eastern expeditions to Liangzhou, killing tens of thousands of Fan people and 4,000 armored soldiers, and conquering Fanhe. He learned all these things from Jiu Juyan when he was in Fanhe.

The achievements of Liu Jilian's three eastern expeditions with 4,000 soldiers alone moved Zhang Yitan and Gao Pian.

You must know that the Tang Dynasty's war against the Pingxia and Nanshan Dangxiang tribes had just ended less than two years ago, and the two Dangxiang tribes had no more than 30,000 tents, no more than 10,000 armored soldiers, and no more than tens of thousands of light cavalry.

In response to their harassment, the Tang Dynasty sent Prime Minister Bai Minzhong to command tens of thousands of troops. It took eight months to defeat the two tribes, and they are still trying to appease them today.

Even in such a normal war, only more than 10,000 people were killed or captured, and less than 3,000 were captured.

At this moment, Zhang Huaishen and Liu Jilian, with less than 5,000 armored soldiers, defeated more than 10,000 Tibetans in Liangzhou, including 4,000 armored soldiers.

If such achievements had been made during the Tang army's pacification of the Dangxiang, I'm afraid these two would have been granted the title of county duke.

"besides……"

Without waiting for the two to come to their senses, Wang Jingzhi continued to talk about Hexi.

After the beginning of spring this year, Zhang Huaishen and Liu Jilian led their troops out of Yanzhi Mountain and recovered the three states of Liangzhou, Huizhou and Lanzhou. They killed and captured nearly 20,000 foreign soldiers and seized more than 13,000 pieces of armor.

All of this can be said to be the greatest achievement the Tang Dynasty had achieved against Tubo since Wei Gao's ten-way expedition.

You should know that after the war, Wei Gao was promoted to the position of Inspector of the Court of Rites and Minister of the Central Secretariat, and was granted the title of Prince of Nankang. He also had the honor of having the "Epitaph of Prince of Nankang Wei Gao" written by Emperor Dezong himself.

Thinking of this, Gao Pian took a breath and thought that if the court knew about these things, it would be difficult to arrange them.

"Good good..."

Zhang Yitan said "yes" three times in a row, then stood up excitedly, walked back and forth, and said: "With this achievement, I am qualified to ask the court for the title of Hexi Jiedushi!"

As Zhang Yitan said this, Gao Pian beside him also showed a look of joy, but he became worried in his heart.

He knew better than Zhang Yitan and Wang Jingzhi that the imperial court did not want to grant the Hexi Jiedushi a banner and official title, nor did it want to cultivate a powerful vassal in the Helong area.

However, the contribution of the Guiyi Army in recovering the three states of Liang, Hui and Lan cannot be ignored. We must find a way to appease them. It would be bad if we annoy them and provoke them to cause chaos.

Gao Pian was a little impatient thinking about this, and asked Wang Jingzhi with a smile: "The three states have been recovered, and the road to Xiaoguan is no longer blocked. I wonder when Zhang Guiyi (the governor of Guiyi Army) will recover Longxi and open up the five official roads from the court to Hexi?"

After Gao Pian finished speaking, Zhang Yitan, who was standing next to him, understood what he was thinking and gave Wang Jingzhi a subtle look.

Seeing this, Wang Jingzhi could only sigh that Zhang Yitan was in a bad situation, but he still said truthfully:

"The governor once said that Hexi has not seen peace for a long time. Now that Hexi has finally been at peace, it is time to rest and recuperate."

"In addition, the Nazhi of Yizhou, the Kunlun Mountains in the south of Shazhou, the Ganzhou Uighurs in the Juyan Sea, and the Wumodu tribe in the Baiting Sea of Liangzhou are all coveting Liangzhou, so the right thing to do now is to keep the people safe and the border safe."

"As for Longxi..." Wang Jingzhi paused, then said:

"The governor sent me to Chang'an to report the victory, and at the same time to ask for the banner of the governor of Hexi, and also to ask for the banner of Zhang Huaishen, Suo Xun, Li Yizhong, Liu Jilong and others."

"Request a petition?" Gao Pian was stunned. He obviously didn't expect that the Guiyi Army had achieved such great merits and only requested the imperial court to issue a petition for the military governor's official title.

If they were to follow the character of the three towns in Heshuo and Lianghuai, if they had achieved such military exploits, they would not only have to seize the military governor's banner, but also demand money and food from the imperial court.

Whenever the imperial court disagreed, they would expel the military governors and inspectors sent by the imperial court at the very least, or even rebel at the worst.

Zhang Yichao neither demanded money or threatened with force. Instead, he honestly requested the governor's banner.

This behavior made Gao Pian a little unsure.

He didn't know whether Zhang Yichao was truly consistent in his words and deeds or whether he was harboring evil intentions.

After all, this is the current situation. Normally, a vassal like Zhang Yichao, who started from scratch and recovered lost territory, would not be so easy to talk to.

"I wonder what kind of official position Zhang Guiyi is going to recommend for Zhang Huaishen and the others?"

Gao Pian tried to find out Zhang Yichao's hidden "evil intentions", but Wang Jingzhi did not hide it and explained openly:
"The Jiedushi hopes to recommend Zhang Liangzhou as the governor of Ganliang and the defense commissioner of Hexi."

"Please recommend Liu Jilong as the Jiedushi of Helin and Weizhou or the Defense Commissioner of Helin and Weizhou, and concurrently the Surveillance Commissioner of Lanzhou."

"Please recommend Suo Xun as the military governor of Huining Army, the governor of Huizhou and the defense commissioner."

"Please recommend Li Yizhong as the military governor of Guangwu Army, the governor of Lanzhou and the defense commissioner."

"Please..."

Wang Jingzhi told everyone about Zhang Yichao's request. After all, Gao Pian was a person sent by the court to monitor him, and his expression also showed the court's attitude towards this.

But Gao Pian's expression remained calm after hearing this, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

After Wang Jingzhi finished speaking, Gao Pian nodded and said:

"With such achievements, these things will not be difficult. I will report to the palace in a moment. If nothing unexpected happens, Zhang Changshi will be able to go to the court tomorrow to ask for permission."

"Thank you, Gao Duyu!" Zhang Yitan and Wang Jingzhi bowed hastily, and Gao Pian also smiled and shook his head:

"Zhang Shazhou has made great contributions and recovered lost territory for the court. This is what I should do."

"Since there is nothing else, I will return home first and then send someone to report to the palace."

After saying the polite words, Gao Pian hurriedly took the news to the palace.

Seeing this, Zhang Yitan and Wang Jingzhi also personally saw Gao Pian off. After Gao Pian walked out of the Wutou Gate and got on the carriage, the two of them bowed to him from a distance and said, "Goodbye, Gao Duyu!"

Seeing the carriage go away, Zhang Yitan took Wang Jingzhi back to the main hall of the mansion, then frowned and asked:
"Liu Jilong is extremely talented, why would he be sent to Lanzhou?"

Zhang Yitan did not understand the situation. He only knew that before he left, Zhang Huaishen and Liu Jilian were still getting along well. If the two of them worked together, it would only take three to five years to recover Longxi.

How come Zhang Huaishen is now in charge of Gansu and Liang, and Liu Jilong has gone to Lanzhou?

Although Guzang, the capital of Liangzhou, is only 400 miles away from Wuquan, the capital of Lanzhou, the reality is not a flat map after all. The two places are separated by the Qilian Mountains, Wushaoling Mountains, Hongchiling Mountains, and the Yellow River.

The time it takes to send Tangqi from Guzang to Wuquan is enough for Guzang to send them to Dunhuang.

Although Zhang Yitan didn't know what happened in Hexi, it was obvious that this situation would lead to a division between Zhang Huaishen and Liu Jilong.

"Attendant, this matter..."

Wang Jingzhi was also very upset about Liu Jilong's departure. After all, he had witnessed the whole process of Liu Jilong assisting Zhang Huaishen in recovering Liangzhou during his military campaign.

In addition, he also admired Liu Jilian's three experiences of conquering Liangzhou in the east, but the facts were before him. If Liu Jilian did not leave, he would always be alienated by others.

Wang Jingzhi told the story of how Suo Zhongyi, Li En and others in Shazhou tried to sow discord between Zhang Huaishen and Liu Jilian.

"Damn you bastard!!"

Upon learning what had happened and what Zhang Yichao was worried about, Zhang Yitan slammed the table and stood up.

He was so angry that his face turned red, and he said excitedly: "Everything in the world is ruined by internal strife!"

"If it weren't for the rebellion of An Lushan and Shi Shi, how could Hexi have been lost for decades?!"

"The lesson from the past is right in front of us, but they still want to sow discord between Huai Shen and Liu Jilong. These people should all be killed!!"

As Zhang Yitan spoke, he couldn't help but shed tears.

Perhaps what he said just now was not referring to the powerful people in Dunhuang, but also to the difficulties he was facing at the moment.

Obviously, they were loyal to the imperial court, but instead of receiving support, they were monitored and suspected day and night.

Thinking of his experiences in the past year, Zhang Yitan burst into tears. Seeing him like this, Wang Jingzhi hesitated to speak, but could not find any words to comfort him.

After thinking for a while, he said, "I met Zhang Liangzhou when I came here. He said that after he has secured his position as the governor of Hexi, he will bring Liu Jilong back and help him deal with the tyrants in Dunhuang."

"No..." Zhang Yitan wiped his tears and shook his head, saying, "Since Liu Jilong has left, I'm afraid he won't come back."

"How is this possible?" Wang Jingzhi said with eyes wide open: "He can achieve what he has today thanks to Zhang Liangzhou's promotion. If it weren't for Zhang Liangzhou..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhang Yitan interrupted him and said, "Huai Shen certainly helped him, but he has come this far largely because of himself."

"By the time Huai Shen secures his position as the governor of Hexi, Liu Jilong will probably have ascended to a higher position."

Although he was disappointed with the civil and military officials in the court, Zhang Yitan still believed that the court would grant them the title of Hexi Jiedushi.

Not only him, but also Wang Jingzhi thought so, because the contribution of the Guiyi Army this time was too great.

However, the two of them did not realize that the imperial court's defenses against the Guiyi Army were far beyond their imagination.

While they were still discussing Liu Jilian's escape, Gao Pian had already sent people to the Daming Palace to inform the eunuchs of the Northern Department of the news he had obtained.

The layout of Chang'an City is that the palace is in the north of the city, and the imperial city is in the south of the palace.

The palace was where the emperor lived and held court, while the imperial city was where all government offices were located. Therefore, "Nan Ya" became a nickname for the offices of all officials headed by the prime minister, and "Bei Si" became a nickname for the eunuch agency within the palace.

After the Anshi Rebellion, the eunuchs became increasingly powerful. In addition to being in charge of daily affairs within the palace, they also directly controlled the Northern Yamen Guards and interfered in foreign affairs.

This situation became more obvious when the Shen Ce Army entered the Imperial Guards, and the Southern Ya Guards became a hollow shell in name only.

The strength of the Northern Division often made the emperor himself feel threatened. For this reason, emperors of all dynasties suppressed the Northern Division.

In order to eliminate the power of the Northern Secretariat, Wang Shuwen and others carried out the Yongzhen Reform during the reign of Emperor Shunzong of Tang, and the Ganlu Change occurred during the reign of Emperor Wenzong, but neither of them succeeded.

After Li Chen ascended the throne, although he dealt with the eunuchs of the Northern Court, he still had to rely on the Southern Court and the Northern Court to govern the country.

Fortunately, the eunuchs were not completely united in their opposition to the outside world, but were divided into several factions, which gave Li Chen the opportunity to check and balance the forces.

Although there are many eunuchs, the highest positions are only two privy councilors and two lieutenants. For this reason, these four positions are also called the Four Nobles.

Of course, in the mouths of the officials of the Southern Court, these so-called four nobles were also called the "Four Powerful Eunuchs."

Gao Pian, who was born in the Gao family of Bohai and was the Du Yuhou of the Shen Ce Army, undoubtedly became a more prominent figure in the Beisi.

In addition, because he showed his ability in guarding against the Dangxiang, the eunuchs asked him to monitor Zhang Yitan. Gao Pian also wanted to learn about the situation in Helong from Zhang Yitan so as to prepare for the future, so the deal was reached.

Ma Yuanzhi, Wang Guichang, Ma Gongru, Wang Jufang, Wang Zongshi and others were all powerful eunuchs with extremely high status.

Although Gao Pian did not rely on anyone, he was mainly inclined towards Wang Zongshi of the Shence Army, so the news was also reported to him.

Upon hearing the news, Wang Zongshi immediately went to the Purple Palace and told Li Chen about the Guiyi Army's recovery of the three lost states and the request for the Hexi Jiedushi's flag and seal.

When he arrived at the Zichen Palace, Li Chen was taking the elixir presented by the imperial physician Li Yuanbo. His face turned red and he felt refreshed.

"This pill is very good... very good..."

Li Chen breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Li Yuanbo with satisfaction.

"It is my honor to make Your Majesty feel at ease!"

The imperial physician Li Yuanbo, who was in his seventies, bowed respectfully. Li Chen also felt the effect of the elixir. Although he was satisfied, he still asked, "Can taking this longevity medicine really prolong my life?"

Hearing this, Li Yuanbo hurriedly explained: "I was weak and sickly when I was young. Now I can live to be 70 years old, all thanks to the longevity medicine."

"With your majesty's healthy body, if you have long-lasting medicine, it will be no problem to extend your life by several decades!"

Li Yuanbo was bragging about his longevity medicine, but Li Chen believed it without a doubt.

This trust was not only due to the effect of the elixir, but also because Li Yuanbo was approaching the age of 77.

Although the world is peaceful nowadays, there are still very few people who live to be seventy years old, let alone someone like Li Yuanbo who can still walk and jump at the age of seventy-five and has a strong body.

While Li Chen was feeling the effects of the long-term medicine, an eunuch walked into the Purple Palace and reported carefully, "Your Majesty, Central Guard General Wang Zongshi has something to report."

"Send him in."

Although his discussion with Li Yuanbo was interrupted, Li Chen still pretended to be magnanimous and allowed Wang Zongshi to enter the hall.

Upon seeing this, Li Yuanbo also stood up and bowed, saying, "Since Your Majesty has taken the longevity medicine, I will take my leave."

"Well, Doctor Li, please take care." Li Chen nodded and then looked towards the palace gate.

Li Yuanbo walked out and Wang Zongshi also walked into the hall.

Although his official rank was below the Four Nobles, Wang Zongshi was only about forty years old, which made him young among the powerful eunuchs.

He met Li Chen's gaze and walked into the hall. When he was five steps away from Li Chen, he stopped and bowed: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty live a thousand years!"

Wang Zongshi called himself a subject rather than a slave, which shows his status.

"Pingshen..."

Although Li Chen disliked eunuchs, he still pretended to be magnanimous: "I heard that you have something urgent to report. I wonder what it is?"

"Your Majesty, the two generals under the command of Zhang Yichao, the governor of the Guiyi Army, Zhang Huaishen and Liu Jilong, have sent troops to recapture the three states of Liangzhou, Huizhou, and Lanzhou."

"Just now, the envoy sent by Zhang Yichao has just arrived at the residence of Zhang Yitan, the Left Imperial Guardsman, to request the banner of the Hexi Jiedushi, as well as the official positions for several generals of the Guiyi Army."

"The military commander Gao Pian learned the news and informed me immediately, so I hurried to report..."

Wang Zongshi informed Li Chen of the news of the recovery of the three states. Li Chen's pupils shrank when he heard this. He was surprised at first, then delighted, but after calming down, he became worried.

He was very good at cultivating his Qi, and his face did not show any signs of anger. He just said calmly, "Well, with this achievement, it is not surprising that I would be recommended as the governor of Hexi."

Seeing him like this, Wang Zongshi hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, although Zhang Yichao has made great achievements, his ancestors were also surrendered to the barbarians."

"I heard that he is now fifty-three years old, and Hexi has been in turmoil since the Huichang period. If he wanted to return east, why did he wait until four years ago to start the rebellion?"

"What's more, I have heard that he had close relations with the Tibetans in his early years, and even almost went to Luoshui to pay a visit to the Tibetan king."

"In my opinion, this man is good at judging the situation. Seeing that Tubo is weak and beyond help, he decided to surrender to the Tang Dynasty."

"If we grant this man the title of Hexi Jiedushi, a powerful vassal will appear in the northwest of the imperial court, which will be detrimental to the capital..."

Wang Zongshi almost thought the worst of Zhang Yichao, and this was also how many people in and out of the government viewed Zhang Yichao.

Some people believe that he missed his homeland, so he started an uprising and marched east to return to his homeland.

Some people also believe that he was good at judging the situation and deliberately returned to the East just for power.

Li Chen would not think the worst of Zhang Yichao, nor would he really regard him as a loyal minister.

In his opinion, the warlords were not good for the imperial court, and the emergence of powerful warlords in the northwest was even more detrimental to the imperial court. However, he could not say such things out loud, so he needed someone like Wang Zongshi to make the final decision.

Seeing Wang Zongshi's description of Zhang Yichao, Li Chen's face showed anger: "Okay! Zhang Yichao is a righteous man, how can you criticize him like this?!"

"Your Majesty, I don't mean to think so, but Hexi is powerful. If we don't control it, I'm afraid it will become like Wu Yuanji and Liu Zhen in the future."

Wang Zongshi brought out Wu Yuanji and Liu Zhen, who had caused rebellion in the past.

Wu Yuanji is too far away, but it was only eight years ago that Liu Zhen led the Zhaoyi Army to rebel, and the event is still vivid in our memory.

The Zhaoyi Army is far away from Chang'an, but once the Hexi Army gains strength and enters Longxi, they will almost be blocking the gate of the capital. How can Li Chen sleep peacefully?
Thinking of this, Li Chen felt that the play was almost over, and immediately said to Wang Zongshi:
"This matter requires careful consideration. We must not allow meritorious officers and soldiers to suffer injustice. We should summon the ministers of the three provinces to the court for discussion."

"I will send someone to summon them right away!" Upon seeing this, Wang Zongshi immediately sent people to summon officials from the three provinces and six ministries to the court to discuss matters.

Seeing him turn and leave, Li Chen narrowed his eyes and thought about the affairs in Hexi.

He did not want to grant Zhang Yichao the title of Hexi Jiedushi, but the Guiyi Army had made great contributions this time. If he did not reward them, he was worried that the Guiyi Army would take the opportunity to cause chaos.

After all, Liangzhou and Huizhou had been recovered by them. If they joined forces with the Dangxiang to cause rebellion in Shuofang, it would be difficult to quell the unrest given the current situation of the court, and it would be easy for the vassal states in Heshuo and Lianghuai to see the strength of the court.

This matter can only be raised by the people below, not by him, so there is room for easing the situation...

(End of this chapter)